Capacity Building and ICT Skills Acquisition of Librarians' in the Federal University of Technology in Minna in Changing Landscape of Library Information Services.

Abstract

Service delivery and ICT skill acquisition by university library staff is aimed at meeting the information need of users who make up the university community in order to achieve the objective of promoting learning and research. This study adopted survey research design. The study population comprised 95 of library staff in Federal University of Technology Minna library. Total enumeration method was used to determine the sample size of 95; the entire staff was the respondents to the study. Structured and validated questionnaire was the instrument for the study. The instrument’s Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ranged from 0.724 to 0.97. The collected data was analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, and mean). The findings of the study showed that library staff delivered very highly rated library services at Federal University of Technology Minna library were internet services, information provision on library website, user education, assisting users to locate information on materials not held locally, providing bibliographies of library holdings to users, providing a platform for research and communication through serials’ services and circulation of new arrivals list, were rated at high extent with tangible mean of (Mean = 4.00 above). The findings showed that workshop/seminars (X = 4.46), self-instruction (X = 4.35), regular certificated education programme (X = 4.34), staff retraining (X = 4.23) and on-line development courses (X = 4.13) were types of CBPs that the library personnel mostly participated in.. The study further found out that the staff ICT skills were majorly acquired through self-instruction (X = 4.29); formal training by the producers/vendors (X = 4.36) and workshops/seminars (X = 4.36). The study therefore concluded that providing additional chances for library professionals to engage in capacity building programs such as conferences and sabbatical appointments will improve the ICT abilities of the staff of federal university of technology Minna Library. The study recommends that university library board and administrators should make available and accessible, appropriate training/ICT policies for sustainable capacity building and effective service delivery and also library personnel should endeavor to build their own capacities in the event of inadequate sponsorship from the university/ library management so as to enhance service delivery.